


Ghosts

by faithseed



Category: Sicario (2015)
Genre: F/M, Internal Conflict, Kate is a little fucked, Matt is a bitch, Reunions, Trauma, reggie is the best of the best, theres gonna be a lot of oc people so like prepare for that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-06-01 01:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15132074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithseed/pseuds/faithseed
Summary: Kate was just trying to get by after the events in Juarez, but then Matt comes back into her life, needing her help. As well as a ghost who haunts her every night.





	1. Chapter 1

Kate should have never signed that paper. Damn her, she should have _never_ signed it. If it was not Alejandro that was there that day, if it had been Matt Graver, she would have fought to the teeth. It was easier to deny giving that slimy man anything he wanted. Although, with Alejandro she held many feelings for him, conflicted as he had sat there with a gun in his hand. She had seen what he was capable of, heard what he had done. And that had scared her. _You look like a little girl when you’re scared._ How could she not?

It was all over now. She took her job back with the FBI, even if Manuel Diaz was gone. Even if Alejandro had killed Fausto Alarcon, who wasn’t even a man she had heard of before the operation. There were always more crawling to take the seat at the top. Always more making her life hell. Yet, her experience has made her harder, smarter. She had to think about if Alejandro was beside her on her missions, how he would do it, yet still going by the book.

Maybe the experience had messed her up in a way that she’d never recover, taking the old Kate and shaping her into someone else. She was on medicine, seeking counseling from a therapist at the bureau. She tried to quit smoking again, but she always found herself holding that cancerous addiction between her fingers every time. Reggie checked up on her regularly, feigning that it was just his good nature. Matt Graver had only contacted her once since then. Since he used her and her partner as leverage to do their dirty work. He had asked her for her help. She turned him down.

She never heard from Alejandro. Though, in every corner and every crevice of her mind, she’d see him. Standing in an aisle in the grocery store. Sitting a couple tables away in the bar. In the chair beside her bed. Everywhere she went, in the corner of her eye he be there, in his dark suit and holding a gun. The first time it happened- the first time she had seen him- she drew her gun in a public place, scaring many civilians and worse; her best friend.

Kate would lie awake at night, fearing the monsters under her bed and the voices whispering in her ears, cold and vicious. She’d hear his voice, speaking to her but they were never anything new. Just the words he spoke to her at the apartment. After he held a gun under her jaw to fake her suicide. After he forced her to sign that god damn paper. Before he left for good.

_You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is the land of wolves now._

She would survive though. She had to survive. Even if one unfortunate day it killed her. So Kate worked hard and harder than she ever did, ruthless now and only growing smarter. Never straying from her conviction. Never stooping down low enough to Matt’s level.

“Fuck.” She cursed, lighting up another cigarette on the balcony.

It’s been five years since Juarez. Kate was now older, wiser. She knew how to pick her battles, and she knew just how to win them. Despite her sanity telling her to leave it alone, she tried checking up on him. Of course, it didn’t work. Alejandro was like a ghost, there one minute and gone the next, always moving, always somewhere else. But constantly haunting her.

Another reason he hadn’t been around, which she should be thankful for, was that she never talked. Besides with Reggie, who had been there. Who had witnessed the same things. The first time they spoke about it, she had a panic attack and cried. She had shook in her chair, holding her head in her hands. Kate smoked a whole carton that night.

Going into work was easier than most would think. At least there, it kept her busy and the memories out of her mind. The thoughts that seeped through the cracks she tried so hard to seal. Reggie said she spaces out during meetings, but she doesn’t remember. She lives in a fucking nightmare every night, so she claims she didn’t sleep well. He didn’t mention that she uses that excuse every time he asks.

“Macer.”

Kate was walking down the hallway when Dave Jennings ran out of his office, flagging her down. She stopped and turned and waited.

“There’s someone in my office that would like to speak with you. I tried to turn him away, but he insisted.” He sent her an apologetic look.

All the air seemed to leave the room, her lungs, just vanishing from existence. It couldn’t be him. _It couldn’t._ Dave’s voice brought her back and she swallowed the rock in her throat, nodding and following after him into his office. The first thing she saw, damn her for looking down, were tattered sandals.

 _Fuck._ Matt Graver turned around and gave her his signature shit-eating grin. He looked older and rougher, but still the same nonetheless. She felt her mind racing in fear, thinking of the exit points as she was desperate for an escape. The was the door behind her and then the window. But she stayed, waiting for him to say something.

With a sigh, he motioned for her to sit. She stood still. “How’re you doing, Kate?”

“What do you want?” was her reply, because fuck him and his pleasantries. She didn’t have the energy or patience for this.

His smile faded and he rubbed his chin. “Alright, I'll cut to the chase. There’s been some Intel on bigger cartel bosses starting shit. You found some more bodies yesterday, didn’t you? An increase of missing persons?”

Kate looked at Dave, eyes cold. Then she looked at Matt and crossed her arms. “I don’t care what you say. I’m not going to help you or Alejandro or-” She stopped. Shit. She can’t say certain things, and that’s so much more difficult when the man responsible was right here. “I’m not doing it.”

So she left, walked right out of the room and on her way. There was no way she’d willingly be thrown back in that hell, having spent so long just trying to manage with it. Kate didn’t want to see any of them. Not Matt, not Alejandro, not that prick Forsing. She’d had enough of all of it.

Matt hurried out after her. “Kate! Would you just stop?”

Kate did, turning quickly and he paused just feet away from her. She walked over, pulling her arm back and swinging as hard as she could. Her fist slammed against his jaw, pain shooting through her knuckles. He stumbled a bit, rubbing his jaw and wiping the blood away from his lip. He gave her that fucking grin again as he stood up straight, chuckling lightly.

“Damn, that’s a hell of a punch. I see you’ve been busy these last five years.”

God, he was infuriating. He couldn’t just leave her alone to wallow in her own goddamn self pity for another five years. “Stay away from me. I want nothing to do with you, or your fucking operation.”

Matt narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards her. “Don’t you want to get the men responsible? For all the people you found in that building? The kids?”

Her heart stung when he mentioned the gruesome scene. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to it, the heart wrenching discoveries. But she’s heard this spiel before, when he first recruited her, before he used her to do illegal operations. “I want you to stay out of my life. I won’t be your tool so you can get away with murder. I won’t stand by while you spray bullets around civilians! Or have you forgotten all about that shit show? Why don’t you get your attack dog to do your bidding?”

He roughly grabbed her arm, dragging her to the side and shushing her. Kate glared and attempted to rip away from him but his grip was tight, fingers digging into her skin. “Keep your mouth shut. Alejandro is gone. I haven’t been able to contact him in over two weeks.”

Alejandro was missing? Impossible. He was probably off in hiding, now that his job was complete. But she was nervous hearing that, knowing that not even Matt could find him was discomforting. A part of her feared he was dead, but something in her told her that that wouldn’t happen so easily.

“That’s not my problem.” She answered honestly, although her stomach was in knots. “My answer is no.”

When she left this time, he didn’t chase after her. She left feeling empty and frightened. The shit was starting all over again and she could feel a panic attack coming on. Dave let her leave early, and she declined meeting with Reggie tonight. More than anything, she wanted to go to her shitty apartment and stare at the ceiling, as she did every night. Maybe she should have listened to Alejandro that day and moved away. Moved far away that neither him nor Matt could find her.

Kate took a shower, had a few cigarettes and a couple bottles of beer. She did anything she could to just forget today. Forget that Matt had shown up in her life again. Forget that Alejandro was out there somewhere, dead or alive.

A knock at the door startled her and she checked the clock, realizing it was late. Too late for visitors, solicitors, or anyone for that matter. She grabbed her gun which was always beside her, and went to the door, taking a deep before she placed her hand on the knob, cold against her palm. Kate twisted the knob and her stomach twisted with it. She opened the door, this ghost hiding behind it much more vivid than the others. This ghost looking older. Her breath hitched and her hand shook, but she held up her gun, aimed at his head.

“Hello, Kate.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I should have shot you.” Kate’s voice was barely a whisper, meek and shaken. 
> 
> His eyes met hers and her heart began to race. He didn’t blink, unnerving her as if he also was just thinking of that moment five years ago. “But you didn’t.”
> 
> Shaking her head slowly. “But I didn’t.”

_“Hello, Kate.”_

Those two words cut through her like a serrated knife, sharp and painful. The edges sawing through her flesh and carving her bones. Now she just waited for the blood to seep through her skin, the wound to get infected and kill her slowly. His voice though, was soft and enticing, as if he was talking calmly to a frightened animal. Perhaps she was the scared little girl she reminded him of. The hands holding her gun shook, finger itching to pull the trigger. Her throat felt dry and she swore she was going to get sick.

Alejandro’s small eyes moved from her hands to her face, so expressionless and terrifying. She’d never know what he was thinking, the thoughts that passed through his head as he looked at her. He was quick as his hands reached for her, pushing the barrel of the gun away and grabbing her shirt. He slammed her back against the door frame, gripping tightly to her wrist and his other arm crushing her chest.

“What did I say about pointing that gun at me?”

Kate struggled to breathe, eyes wide as she watched him, his face so close. He didn’t move even after the gun dropped to the wooden floor in a loud clatter. He just stared into her eyes and it was like he was taking the air from her lungs. It was just them breathing, watching each other, motionless and conflicted. It wasn’t until the sound of a door closing echoed in the hallway that he stepped away from her and she could gasp for air.

Alejandro pushed past her inside while she stood there like an idiot, watching her neighbor walk by with a condescending look of disgust. Their eyes dropped to the gun and all color in their face vanished as they picked up the pace and ran. She wanted to follow them. To run out of her own apartment in fury and fear. Yet, she picked up the gun and closed the door behind her, carefully watching him as he scoped out the her living room.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Kate. I just want to talk.”

She swallowed hard as she placed the handgun on the counter, slow and ready. If he was here to kill her, she thought, he’d at least have the courtesy do it at the front door. “I should have shot you.” Kate’s voice was barely a whisper, meek and shaken.

His eyes met hers and her heart began to race. He didn’t blink, unnerving her as if he also was just thinking of that moment five years ago. “But you didn’t.”

Shaking her head slowly. “But I didn’t.”

“You’re older now.” Alejandro was tempting her. Instigating. “Who knows what you’re capable of.” His fingers glided over a picture frame, gaze never wavering from hers.

Kate’s hands shook violently as she reached for her cigarettes, pulling one out and putting it between her lips. She was in need of a distraction. She needed this to be the insanity she feared all those years. He took a step forward and she shuddered, eyes closing. This was real and there was no escape. His footsteps were loud in her ears as he made his way over, hands clasping over hers. They stopped shaking.

“Am I the reason you shake so much?”

It was impossible to deny, even though it shouldn’t have been true. Unintentionally she had created an imaginary scenario and feared it becoming reality. The scenario where this man she once worked along side with, who saved her life many times and then intended to end her life, came to finish the job. To kill her for the things she involved herself in. She was frightened of the idea that everything was a form of her nightmares coming to life. But his touch was gentle and his voice empathetic.

Slowly, her eyes opened and she could breathe again. He was so close but she found solace in his gaze, a comforting feeling swimming through her veins. This effect he had on her was overwhelming, and she hated that she wanted to trust him. Hated that she was ultimately trusting him even now as his fingers traced invisible lines along her arms. If this was his way of soothing her nerves, it was working.

“Why are you here?” The question itself was not in spite, but genuine curiosity. If he wasn’t here to finish the job, then why?

The motions of his fingers stopped, yet never left her. “I need your help. Matt went to visit you, didn’t he?”

Kate swallowed and felt an ache in her heart. “That’s why you’re here. Yeah, should have known. He told me he didn’t know where you were.”

“He doesn’t.” Was all he said and then she understood. He had been watching them. She didn’t know how or since when, but perhaps the man she saw in the corner of her eye was never imaginary and was in fact, actually there. “I need _your_ help.” Alejandro repeated in a whisper.

“I can’t do it again. I won’t.” She whispered back, voice breaking as she forced herself to reject him. No way would she be dragged back into the mess they create. “I work with kidnapping. I don’t do drugs, or-or cartel feuds.”

Alejandro still wore that emotionless expression, although a tad softer than usual. He let go of her now, slightly moving backwards and she felt cold and hopeless. “It’s about the kidnappings. Hector García? I can help you get him.”

Why he would want to help her with this was beyond her, but finding Hector was her job. “What do you want in return?”

The man didn’t respond, sighing lightly and expression growing softer. “You look tired, Kate. Get some sleep, we can talk in the morning.”

Kate was tired, more exhausted than she realized. But his sudden change and refusal to explain only made her more curious. How do you ask someone for help and then not tell them what you need help with? She knew his reason, knew why he wouldn’t say it. “What are you going to do?”

He smiled then. It was short and brief, barely visible if she hadn’t been intently focused on his face. Alejandro pointed to the couch. “I’ll sleep there.”

And she let him. There was no use in fighting him, she had fought all she could. As she lay on her bed, it was surprisingly easy to fall asleep. The man that once plagued her dreams was now just on the other side of the wall, sitting on her couch. It was a comfort to know he was there, just steps away, and yet it was also alarming that he had already molded his way into her life, more than he already was.

Her therapist would call this a baby step. And yet she felt like she was leaping out of a plane without parachute. Who was going to be there to catch her when she fell? Alejandro? Alejandro only did what was best for him. So why did she find herself falling towards his arms, waiting for the moment that would decide her fate. He either was going to catch her or watch her body splatter on the concrete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is shorter, I'm sorry!!!!! hopefully one day I'll add reggie. I'm so ready for reggie to show up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He leaned down as he held her against the wood floor, his lips ghosting her ear. Everything was a blur as something foreign filled her body and she couldn’t tell if she liked it or loathe every bit of it.
> 
> “Wake up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I'm going away for a while and I wanted to update before I leave. Hopefully I'll be able to update while I'm gone, but if not, I'll definitely have another chapter or two when I come back! Thank you everyone for reading this fic, it really means a lot to me as I'm incredibly invested in these two.

Thick, sweaty hands wrapped around her throat, squeezing and squeezing until all the air left her lungs. Her legs were kicking his hips, hands pushing against his face as she fought him off, nails clawing at his arms, breaking the skin and letting the blood flow. That only caused him to slam her head into the floor, for his fingers to tighten their grip. If he pressed any harder, her windpipe would snap and just the agonizing thought was enough to leave the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. 

Ted’s large and fearful face was above her, red and sweaty as he yelled at her to stop. As he blamed her for his actions. Her vision was fading and her head was throbbing. This was the end of the line. This man was about to kill her. What a fucking shitty way to go, and she didn’t even get laid. A noise brought her attention away and although he was barely visible, Alejandro was standing over her. Her assailant was gone and the real threat was there, looking into her eyes with an intensiveness that burned like a wildfire in her heart.

_ “Kate.” _

Ted had vanished and Alejandro took his place, his grip around her throat gentler than the former. He didn’t have a look of guilt and regret. No, it was soft and almost sad. He leaned down as he held her against the wood floor, his lips ghosting her ear. Everything was a blur as something foreign filled her body and she couldn’t tell if she liked it or loathe every bit of it. 

_ “Wake up.” _

Kate jolted awake, paralyzed on the bed and gasping for air. Familiar and warm hands reached out and caressed her face, Reggie’s nervous eyes searching her. “Kate, are you alright?”

Once she was able to catch her breath, she sat up and instantly remembered of her company. “Fuck, Reg. What are you doing here?” The sun was blaringly bright and bleeding through the curtains. 

“You’re two hours late. Jennings sent me to check on you.” He sat back and sighed, watching her face. “I let myself in and found you in the middle of a nightmare.” Reggie was silent for a moment, and then spoke in the motherly tone of his, “What was it about?”

She debated on telling him. Ted was, after all, his friend. He still blamed himself for what happened, even though there was no way he’d have known. Every time it was somehow brought up, he’d apologize, that look of guilt in his expression. And she couldn’t exactly bring up Alejandro at all. “The usual.” Was all she said, her voice small. “Did you see anyone on the couch?” 

“No,” He drawled, glancing at her suspiciously. “Did you have someone over?”

Shaking her head softly, she ran an unsteady hand through her hair. “No, it was probably a dream. Let me get ready, and we can leave.” 

Reggie stood then, holding his hand out. “No, you need to rest. Jennings didn’t want you to come in, he just wanted me to check on you. He’s giving you the day off.” 

Those words pierced her heart and she panicked, glaring at him. “I can’t just sit here! I have a job to do! I’m fine to go to work.” 

“You were actually sleeping, Kate. That’s good. God knows you need to sleep. So be thankful that you don’t have to get out of bed and stay here.”

Reggie argued with her for a couple more minutes and then left, leaving her sitting there on her bed, heart still racing from her nightmare. Kate thought of Alejandro again and she jumped up, rushing into the next room. It seemed impossible that she had just imagined the encounter, the feeling of his skin on hers was too real to be a dream. 

Kate walked out onto the balcony for a smoke, eyes searching below for any sign of the ghost. The parking lot was clear and devoid of a single soul, cars driving pass on the road a mile out. She should have left Phoenix when she had the chance, should have moved away like Alejandro suggested years ago. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to do it, leaving her job and Reggie, out of the question.

The wind picked up as the clouds grew darker, the air changing. It would rain soon. She had hoped he was out there, watching her. Mostly to know he was close by and come if she needed him. Not that she ever needed him. 

If he actually had visited last night and she wasn’t just imagining it, again, then she should have learned what it was he really wanted. Learned why he showed up in her life after five years. Yet, as she thought of all the things she’d ask him, maybe she was too afraid to know the answer. Too afraid to find out the truth, to understand his feelings. Even if she could know what he was thinking, what he felt about her or what happened in Juarez, she didn’t even know how she felt. All this time she feared the man and now?

A knock at the door drew her attention away and she frowned, taking a long drag of the cigarette before putting it out. Walking back into the apartment, she grabbed her handgun, walked to the door and slowly opened it. It was almost like deja vu and she wondered if he would be on the other side. She was sorely disappointed. 

“Good morning, Kate.” Matt Graver said, that dumb fucking grin ruining her mood. While she stood there dumbfounded and watched him, he raised an eyebrow curiously. “Are you going to invite me in?” 

Kate swallowed hard, trying to remove the dry lump in the back of her throat. Why was Matt of all people at her apartment? “Why should I?”

His smile vanished quicker than she could process and his eyes glanced down at the weapon in her hand. If he made one move to lay a single finger on her, she wouldn’t hesitate pull the trigger. Not like she hesitated with Alejandro. “Scared of something, Macer?” 

Heart pounding in her chest as panic set in, blood rushing in her ears and everything seemed to stop. Whatever his reason for being here, he was determined to intrude either way. She knew him, not well, but well enough to know the he wasn’t afraid to use force to get what he wanted. So she stepped aside, allowing him to step into her space. Last thing she needed was one of her neighbors to become suspicious of all the men in and out of her apartment.

As she closed the door, Matt made himself at home by kicking off his sandals and flopping down on her couch. She placed the gun down, still unable to breathe as she waited for him to say something. “Why are you here?” 

“Always to the point with you.” He shook his head slowly and then leaned forward, gaze harsh and uninviting. “Alejandro was here?"

She hoped her face hadn’t given her away to the secrets she held. “No, of course not. I haven’t seen him since you sent him to me to sign that agreement.”

Kate didn’t move, but she wish she had. Matt stood up from his seat as walked towards her, grabbing the front of her shirt and slamming her into the wall with enough force she feared the drywall would cave in. Startled by his sudden actions, she was breathing heavily and glaring at him. Thankfully he wasn’t holding her by her throat. 

“It would be wise to tell the truth, Kate. I’m trying to protect you, but you are making that very difficult.” His eyes betrayed nothing, in the sense that she couldn’t tell if he was being honest or deceiving her. 

Maybe it was just the pressure he was putting on her chest, but the overwhelming tightness crushing her made it unbearable to focus. “Protect me from what?”

His eyes roamed her face carefully and the unsettling uncomfortable feeling was thicker and weighed heavier than before. “From yourself. From Medellín. What do you think is going to happen if Alejandro sees you? What will you do?”

“You need to leave.” Kate’s voice was weak and she tried to sound demanding, yet it fell short. He had the advantage, as he was the one holding her down. It reminded her of the night in the tunnel, the same feeling as she struggled to breathe after being shot by Alejandro, the same feeling of her head pressing into the dirt. “Now.” 

Matt released his hold on her and stepped back, holding his hands up. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He walked to the door, placing his hand on the knob and then looking back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kate. Have a good rest.” 

The rain began to pour.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Kate,” The way he said her name was soft and gentle and it took everything in her not to break down. 
> 
> Taking a deep breath and staring hard, swallowing the lump in her throat, she shook her head. “Don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaah Happy Thanksgiving/Holidays!!!! 
> 
> I'm finally back with an update I can't believe it took me so long!! This chapter isn't great but next one will be better. I'm going to brush off my Sicario dvd and watch it another 5 times bc after finishing this I feel like I need to.

“He was at my fucking house!” Kate screamed, throwing her arm back, pointing to Matt Graver who sat just on the other side of the glass walls. He probably was wearing that shitty smirk of his and she felt her blood boil at the thought. “I will not work with him.”

Jennings sighed, leaning back in his seat and shaking his head. “I understand, Kate-”

“Understand  _ my ass _ ,” She seethed, glaring hard enough to cause a flicker of shock from her boss. “My answer is no and it will still be no every time you  _ fucking  _ ask me.” 

With that, she left the room, letting the door swing violently. Matt attempted to call out to her but she just stormed passed, hands twitching and corrupt lungs begging for a smoke. Reggie met her outside just as she lit the end of the cigarette, taking the longest drag he had ever seen. 

“Shit,” He joked, raising a brow. “That bad?” 

Kate let out a heavy breath, running a hand through her hair. “Not now, Reg.” She took another puff and then turned around, leaning her back against the wall. “Why won’t he just leave me in fucking peace? Why does he insist on sticking around?”

Reggie watched her for a moment before shrugging and joining her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “He wants you to team up again?”

She nodded and flicked the butt of the cigarette onto the ground, stomping it out with her boot. Kate trusted Reggie, but there was no way in hell she could tell him about Alejandro. How he was in her apartment the other night- how he was constantly in her head. Shit, now she was thinking about him again. “After five years, now he shows up? I don’t trust it.” She muttered to herself.

But she wasn’t talking about Matt now, was she? And yet none of it made a difference. What kind of fucking unfair coincidence was it that the two men she wished to never see again just happened to show up-  _ uninvited-  _ at the same time?

“Well, you’re in luck.” Reggie cleared his throat at a chance to change the subject. “We have work to do, so let’s go do that. Yeah?” 

Kate nodded and grimaced. “Yeah.” 

They left the building she climbed into Reggie’s car, leaning back in the seat and sighing. She mostly stared out the window as he drove. She found herself thinking once again but it was already too late to stop. That night Alejandro stopped by, he offered her a deal and he knew exactly what she wanted yet, she still hadn’t a clue what he wanted in return. As for Matt Graver, she didn’t care what he wanted and hoped to never find out. 

The car came to a halt and all her thoughts vanished as they parked outside of a courthouse. Kate sighed heavily and stepped out of the car, glancing around her anxiously as she shut the door. This was just routine. They’d come in and talk to whoever they needed to talk to and then move on once they got their answers. Her stomach was doing flips however as she looked up at the tall building. 

And just as she started to walk forward, her phone went off. Groaning, she was going to scream if it was Jennings calling her about Graver. She had had enough of this harassment bullshit. Without even thinking to check the number, she answered the call. 

“Kate.” The voice spoke so softly, hushed and calming. Every muscle in her body froze and her blood ran cold. 

Alejandro waited for her to speak, not continuing to talk. He needed her full attention and she hadn’t meant to give it to him. “How did you get my number?” 

She could hear him breathe out through the speaker and she frowned. “We can talk about that later. Listen to me very carefully. Don’t go inside that building.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth her heart started racing uncomfortably and she panicked, turning to look in every direction. He was  _ here _ . He was  _ watching  _ her. How long had he been watching her- not just today but for the last five years? Kate’s throat was dry as she tried to answer, taking deep breaths. Eventually she let out a, “Why?” her voice weak and weary. 

“The man you are going to meet is working for  Hector García. Remember when you went into the bank? Same thing. You go in there, you make yourself a target.” Alejandro sighed over the phone and she frowned to herself. 

Reggie was standing a ways away, watching her curiously. She lowered her voice and turned away slightly. “Yes, I remembered how you  _ used  _ me. I won’t make that mistake again.” 

“Kate. Don’t go in there.” 

Before she could respond, Reggie called out to her and she jumped, his words breaking through the ringing in her head and the intoxicating sound of Alejandro’s low and calm voice. “Kate, I don’t mean to rush, but we’ve got shit to do.”

Without meaning to or with thought, she ended the call and swallowed hard. She couldn’t let Reggie know she was talking to Alejandro. He couldn’t know that she had allowed him into her home. So she nodded and followed him inside and together they waited outside a courtroom for a man named Adrian Kaminsky.

Eventually the doors opened and several people walked out, including the man they were looking for. 

“Adrian Kaminsky?” Kate called, watching the man turn at the sound of his name. He wore an expensive looking suit and his dark hair was greased back. His eyes narrowed as he looked between the two. “I’m Kate Macer- this is my partner Reggie Wayne- we are with the FBI and we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

The man glared, crossing his arms and huffing impatiently. “What about? I got no nothin’ to say to you.” 

Nothing about this fazed Kate and she just crossed her arms as well. “You ever heard of Hector García?”

The color drained from Adrian’s face and he grew frightened, it was written all over his face- the way his eyes widened slightly and his jaw tightened. And the way his words came out forced. “Never heard of him.”

Reggie scoffed and shifted his weight to the other foot, shaking his head. “Everyone’s heard of him? Where have you been living?”

There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach and now that she knew this man worked for García, his reaction was worse than what she would have thought. He wasn’t scared by the name- he was scared that he’d be caught. Alejandro was right and she didn’t ever want to say that out loud. Placing her hand on Reggie’s arm, she couldn’t stop staring at Kaminsky. Reggie looked over and she blinked. 

“This is useless, we should go.” 

Her partner frowned and pulled away, watching her with narrowed eyes. “What? No, we are just getting started.”

“ _ Reg _ ,” She insisted, voice tight. “We. Should. Go.” 

It took him a moment, but finally he nodded slowly. “Yeah. Alright.” They thanked Kaminsky for his time and left. 

Kate was a bundle of anxious wrapped into a thick layer of frustration. This was her job and yet she was letting Alejandro get to her just like every other time. She couldn’t explain it to Reggie, not that she had gotten her information from the man who made her life literal hell for five years. And he had tried so many times on the ride back to get her to talk. She just gave him a warning to not trust anyone and call her if anything happened.

It was happening again. The constant barrage of paranoia and anxiety filling her being as she walked up to her apartment, glancing in every direction for shadows behind corners. As she unlocked the door and hurried inside, she nearly screamed had it not got stuck in her throat. 

Alejandro stood there with his small eyes glaring at her, gun in hand.  _ Fuck _ , this was it. “Lock the door.” He spoke and she did, not meaning to but fuck she was scared. He sighed and put the gun down, shaking his head. “I told you not to go in there.”

Kate was confused, watching as he seemed to relax. “What do you want from me!?” Now she screamed- cried. She was angry, frightened, and most of all she was tired. 

“I need your help, but you can’t help if you’re dead.”

She was more angry now, wiping the tears that slipped away from her cheek. “I never agreed to help you. You won’t even tell me what it is.” 

“Kate,” The way he said her name was soft and gentle and it took everything in her not to break down. 

Taking a deep breath and staring hard, swallowing the lump in her throat, she shook her head. “Don’t.”

Alejandro nodded and then took a seat on her couch, leaning back. His eyes never left her and there was something soft about them that had her putting down her guard. The guard she had so meticulously put up to protect her from  _ him _ . And yet he so easily tore it down without having to do anything. 

He leaned forward and looked down at his hands. “Let’s talk then.”


End file.
